Perhaps the oldest and most established art form, portraiture is found in all cultures, time-periods and mediums, spanning the length of history. From the earliest rendered cave markings of Lascaux, to the grand portraits of the Baroque, painters and artisan’s have always attempted to capture the image and spirit of human beings. Like most ancient art, early portraiture was usually a reflection of the culture that produced it; for instance, Egyptians were known for their profile portraits—two-dimensional, public murals and carvings that detailed royalty, myths and the afterlife. Portrait busts of powerful political figures grew into an entire industry of artisans in Ancient Rome, where Caesar, Octavian and Constantine were captured in marble and stone. As painting developed around the world, the importance of formal portraiture rose not only as an art form, but also as a commodity. Royal portraits and commissioned works allowed those with money to preserve an image of themselves or their family in the pre-photographic world. 

In the twentieth century, portraiture was further explored through the lens of various artistic movements and styles, from Pablo Picasso’s cubist faces to Frida Kahlo’s magical realist self-reflections. Andy Warhol defined an entire movement of Pop art with his vibrant celebrity depictions, while painter Chuck Close tested the boundaries of photorealistic painting with his larger-than-life portraits. The invention of photography in the Nineteenth century revolutionized both the method and concept of portraiture, enabling people to capture not only a person’s image, but also the subtle nuances of expression, changing emotion and visual essence. Innovators like Man Ray, Richard Avedon and Irving Penn changed the landscape of portrait photography as an art form. While the nature of portraits has changed throughout history, the fundamental desire of human beings to recreate their own image has remained.